Petroleum refining and petrochemical processes frequently involve the selective conversion of hydrocarbons with a catalyst. For example, the dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons is an important commercial process because of the great demand for dehydrogenated hydrocarbons for the manufacture of various chemical products such as detergents, high octane gasolines, pharmaceutical products, plastics, synthetic rubbers, and other products well known to those skilled in the art. One example of this process is dehydrogenating isobutane to produce isobutylene which can be polymerized to provide tackifying agents for adhesives, viscosity-index additives for motor oils, impact-resistant and anti-oxidant additives for plastics and a component for oligomerized gasoline.
The prior art is cognizant of various catalytic composites which contain a Group VIII noble metal component, an alkali or alkaline earth metal component, and a component selected from the group consisting of tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, thallium, or mixtures thereof. U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2005/0033101 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,340, both assigned to the present application and the entirety of both which are incorporated herein by reference, describe various catalysts that are useful, efficient, and effective for the selective conversion of hydrocarbons.
However, there remains an ongoing and continuous need for new catalytic material for selective hydrocarbon conversion processes, especially those that improve on one or more characteristics of the known catalytic compositions.